31 years old female following her breast augmentation revision – left oblique view
A breast augmentation revision of deflated related implants is an extremely common revision surgery. Breast implant deflation is an unfortunate body contouring deformity seen in the patient presented. Depending on your implant type (saline vs. silicone), there are various ways to treat the deformity and subsequent contour irregularity.
Saline implant deflation
This patient had prior breast augmentation surgery with saline implants. Saline deflation is evident almost instantly due to its thinner shell than a silicone shell. You can notice the obvious deflation of the left implant in the before photos. Once saline implants become deflated, the breast mound and soft tissues will begin to contract. Breast mound contraction can make it difficult to re-augment if prolonged time elapses. Therefore, you must attend to this deformity immediately to resolve the evident deformity and to reinflate the tissues back out.
However, removing the implant is insufficient to complete the breast augmentation revision. Your surgeon must also aim to attain breast symmetry through your revision surgery. This is done by replacing both implants, not just the deflated ones. You will be resized for new implants at your initial consultation for the revision surgery. This allows the patient also to adjust her desired size. In this patient’s case, she wanted to go bigger in size.
Silicone implant deflation
Silicone implant deflation has specific consequences, unlike that of saline implant deflation. First, when silicone implants initially rupture, they don’t deflate. Inability to deflate results from the fact that silicone molecules that leak out of the implant do not get immediately absorbed. With prolonged time, the silicone molecules may gradually migrate across the scar tissue, called the capsule, that surrounds the implant. However, this process is prolonged and may take months to years.
What is more concerning following a silicone implant rupture is the immune system’s reaction to the free silicone molecules. Following implant rupture, the immune systems activation results in flooding of the breast tissues with collagen-producing cells called fibroblasts. Fibroblasts will increase the production of collagen fibers that will thicken the breast capsule, creating a capsular contracture. Capsular contracture describes an undesirable phenomenon when the natural breast scar, called the capsule, thickens to create firm breast mounds. With prolonged time, the capsule can deform your breast and cause pain. The treatment for ruptured silicone implants is more complicated than that for saline implants. The increased complexity of treating silicone implants stems from the fact that the thickened capsule may often need to be removed. This is in addition to removing the ruptured silicone implant and any remnants. Similar to saline implants, both breasts should be treated at the time of surgery to ensure that you start out with a fresh set of implants.
How breast augmentation revision for deflated implants is performed
We keep a full stock of all implant sizes to offer a comprehensive sizing consultation and ensure you choose the perfect implant size replacement. One major, underreported key to implant sizing is that once the implant is actually placed in the breast mound, it will appear 5% smaller than what it looks like during your initial consultation.
Additionally, you may be able to change your implant type and style to modify the shape and size of your breasts. Whether your implants are silicone or saline, a breast augmentation revision surgery will correct the deflated appearance or irregularities caused by an implant rupture. In some patients, it may be prudent to consider a breast lift if your breast mounds have dropped or your nipples have sagged.
Contact us to schedule your complimentary consultation today.
Please see this 31-year-old female following her breast augmentation revision of the deflated implant.
